Donald Trump · MIT Technology Review
Four nuclear reactors hit a big milestone in the US
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Key facts
- In August, the US Department of Energy selected 11 reactor projects for the program and offered them land and support from the national labs system
- Antares Nuclear was the first to achieve criticality, reaching the milestone in June in its Mark-0 test reactor
- Aalo says it’s already begun work on the second reactor and plans to produce 10 megawatts of electricity to power an on-site data center in 2027
- This article is from The Spark, MIT Technology Review ’s weekly climate newsletter
Summary
Last year the Trump administration set a goal to see three new microreactors achieve criticality, a technical milestone establishing that a reactor can sustain a chain reaction, by the nation’s 250th birthday. It was a lofty goal, and seeing not three but four companies meet it is certainly a positive sign for emerging nuclear technologies at a time when the world is facing increased need to increase electricity supply and address climate change with emissions-free technologies. But achieving criticality doesn’t mean a reactor is ready to provide electricity for the grid (or at all, for that matter). The Reactor Pilot Program opened a special door for prototype reactors to fast-track development.